Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXIV, Issue 1
Written by Victor NIȚĂ, Magda NENCIU
The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896), is native to the Western Atlantic, supporting extensive fisheries and more recently aquaculture pursuits. It has become established as a non-native species in the Mediterranean, while in the Black Sea it was first reported decades ago, near the Bulgarian coast. A first specimen was collected at the Romanian coast in 1998 and, since then, individuals of this species have been reported several times. Due to its high market value and potential for aquaculture, we investigated the adaptation of the blue crab to captivity conditions. One adult was caught in fishing nets in the Mamaia Bay and transported to NIMRD’s aquaculture laboratory. The crab was sexed (male) and measured (carapace width = 205 mm; carapace length = 100 mm; biomass = 537.58 g), and subsequently placed in a small PAS (pump-ashore system). Live mussels were introduced in the tank and the C. sapidus specimen was immediately observed feeding actively with the mollusks. Additionally, small fish were offered, being rapidly consumed. The overall observed behavior in captivity encourages aquaculture endeavors for this valuable species.
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